Let me preface everything by saying that I have only seen as many shows as school and work have allowed me to, with a few 3-4 show runs on my record, beginning in '96, totaling 19. I attended most shows with 2 or 3 random friends from college who had somewhat similar music interests. What has added to the difficulty of getting to shows is the lack of common liking of the music by my close friends. So I have been known to search out strangers as travel mates, and hence the following escapade.....

I put together my mid-summer itinerary of Merriweather-VA Beach-Starlake in 98. All that was needed was a partner or two to share gas, tolls, the music and good times with. Through Gadiel's message board I came across a girl living about an hour away interested in the same run of shows. So one then became two. To make it more interesting, these were to be her 1st, yes FIRST phish shows. I had my reservations about if she knew what she was getting into, but then again felt privileged to share such an experience with a "virgin". The plan was in motion.....

The day before I was to leave, one of my close friends decided he was in too. He was a veteran so to speak, seeing occasional shows (2 with me) since 94. His presence would help ease any tension I may have with the random girl. (I am embarrassed to say that her name escapes me.)

So we were off on the morning of 8/8/98. We picked the girl up at her house in the boonies around noon, giving us an ample 7 hours to get from just outside Pittsburgh to the hotel in Columbia,MD and out to the show.

The drive to Maryland was...interesting. I was entertained by this girl's ambition, wanting to know all she could about what she was getting into. She was 19 going on 20, innocent, and just eager to experience something new. After an easy, "get-to-know-you" 4-hour ride, we arrived in Maryland, checked into the hotel and were off to Merriweather, about a 3 mile drive, by 5:00.

Now it gets interesting. Let me now say that I was driving an '89 Jeep Cherokee, approximately 80,000 miles....pretty good shape....so I thought. We get about 1 mile from the amphitheater at 5:30 and BAMM!! ***Mad Traffic Jam!*** So we sat, and crawled along, for about an hour, then nothing, completely stopped, going nowhere. We began to crack a few Saranacs to ease the frustration.

As my temperature gauge was rising, it approached show time. For both a fear of overheating, and a fear of missing the opener, we joined the countless other heads in parking our cars right on the side of the highway and making the 1/2 mile jaunt into the venue around 8:00.

Since this tale is a bit more about the journey, and not necessarily about the music, I'll spare any detailed show reviews, except to say SABOTAGE, yes, the phirst of its kind! My friend Brian is a Beaties addict, so needless to say, he went berzerk during the entire encore. Stellar show overall, great Piper, and got us all geeked for the next night....

Getting out was much easier than getting in, and after combing the lots for about an hour, we were back at the hotel around 1:30. The mystery girl was absolutely overwhelmed by her phirst experience. She didn't know if what she witnessed was the best or worst show, but she did know she loved it, and couldn't wait to see them again the next day. A few beers later, we all hit the sack in anticipation for tomorrow's show at the beach.

Being an early riser, I climbed out of bed and into the sunlight around 8:00. Our ETD was around 9:30 for that day, so I began packing up the jeep for the 6 hour trek through Virginia. As I made a trip or two from the room to the car, I came across a kid sitting on the hotel steps with just a backpack and a pillow. Very clean cut guy, looked pretty athletic, and young, about 17 or so. He asked if we were going to VA beach, to which I replied yeah. He asked for a ride, to which I replied absolutely. 3 now became 4, me and a friend + 2 complete strangers.

We hit the road around 10, and after about a mile we ran ourselves right into the nightmare traffic on the DC Beltway. Total chaos. Apparently lots of vacationers coming and going to the beach. I figured we gave ourselves enough travel time to allow for traffic or delays, so we're cool.....until the jeep stalls out, and stalls out again, and again, right in the middle of traffic on the Beltway.

So we push 'er to the side of the road, and luckily get a jump from an older couple passing by. I rev 'er up and hit the Beltway once again, only to stall out about 3 minutes later. We have not yet even escaped Washington DC and the jeep is dead. And of course, raindrops begin to fall, not heavy but very steady. I do my best to stay calm and hunt down a police car, but end up calling for a tow truck.

After about a 1/2 hour wait, a flatbed truck arrives and mounts my poor jeep to transport it to the nearest service station. But wouldn't you know it is Sunday! After making about 7 or 8 calls we decided to take her to Sears. One problem though...there's 4 people in our party and only 1 tow truck. We did what we had to and piled 4 of us plus the driver into the cab of his flatbed, like sardines!!

Now put yourself in the shoes of the young kid I picked up outside the hotel. He thinks he's lucky getting set-up with a ride to VA beach with us three, and then wallah, he's in a tow-truck heading to Sears about an hour later. I told him when we broke down to hitch a ride with the first car of heads that came by, to which he refused. He said he's with me all the way, and assured me we'd get there.

So i'm struggling knowing we may not get to Virginia, feeling bad for the people I'm riding, and know I can't afford to make any repairs to my ride.

So we get to this mini-mall where the Sears is and everyone goes to grab a bite to eat. I stay to find out that I just need a new battery and a new fan belt. No sweat, right? They say it'll be ready tomorrow cause they don't have enough guys working that day to fix it! I explain to the repairman that I HAVE to get on the road today, and fast! They give me a two hour estimate, which turned into three. I go try to eat, but am soo nauseous and stressed that i can't. I apologize to my riding mates, who to my surprise had taken up a collection among themselves to pay for 1/2 the repairs!! MMMM good karma!!

By 2:30 the Jeep is fixed up and we hit the road at a furious pace. Got a 5-6 hour drive to the show, which puts myself, brian, the stranger girl and the stranger guy in VA around show time or shortly thereafter. The more we drove the more excited we all became. knowing we dodged a potentially catastrophic bullet.

About 45 minutes outside Virginia Beach, a pick-up truck drives up beside me, blowing his horn, pointing. We had just finished polishing off some tasty green, so a slight case of paranoia set in. I put down my window, as did the passenger of the pickup truck. He tells me to pullover because my tailpipe is dragging on the ground!! No fucking way!! This can't happen.

So we ease to the side of the road behind the pick-up, and low and behold the tailpipe had been sparking for the last mile or two. But as the karma fairy had been blessing us all day, the driver of the pick-up just happened to have a chain in his bed, which he used to rig up my tailpipe!  20 minutes lost, but a tailpipe saved. We hit the road as the clock hit 8 bells.

We barrel toward the entrance to the lot, which of course had a "FULL" sign posted. So following the practice of the previous night, I threw it in park on the side of the road. As we opened the doors of the Jeep, the opening licks of Lizards rang out. By the time we made our way into the amphitheater, we had only missed the first two songs, but WE MADE IT!! As kind of a consolation, I had the only pavilion ticket of our group. I apologized to Brian and the two friends, but explained how I needed to go get close by myself and I'd meet them at setbreak.

Avoiding an in-depth show/song review, the first set was extremely tight, very different from the previous night's fun, jammy two sets sprinkled with some newer tunes. The horses were out on 8/9 at VA Beach (see setlist 8/9). The boys meant business tonight, although I had no idea how epic this night would become.

After meeting my crew at setbreak, we all just felt blessed that we made it, in one piece, together! Our friend, who hailed from Long Island told me he'd be taking a train home after the show, so he may not see us again. I thanked and hugged him, got his address, and wished him the best.

As I settled in for the 2nd set and the boys took the stage, Trey remarked about the full-moon that they were looking at as they played. It was eerie, but in a mystically exciting kinda way. I remember that I just kept thinking that I had made it. I just didn't come to a show, but I made it through some crazy shit to get there. I felt that someone or something meant for me to be right there at that time in my life. I haven't had very many "moments" in my life where I feel as if something else is acting upon me, but at that moment I knew "something" put me there, and I was Grateful......

Second set was bliss. Tunes I had sooo wanted to hear, played beautifully, every one of them. As they closed the set, I knew the smile on my face would take a very long time to go away. The preceding escapade that ensued to get to VA Beach didn't matter, the music did. And as if Phish had not given me enough, Terrapin Station encore. That alone says volumes about the magnitude of this show that I had the privilege of making it to.

This story has gotten pretty long, so to sum up the drive home, my tailpipe did eventually fall off, just before we got out of Virginia on our way back to Pittsburgh. It took about 4 hours for this little hillbilly gas station to put a new one on, but at that point I could really care less. "I GOT TO TERRAPIN".

So my encounter with complete strangers and car trouble on tour was actually a great experience. This is probably the most chaotic trip I have taken going to shows, but undoubtedly the most memorable. Thanks to those of you who suffered through reading this ridiculous, but true story. I know if I ever see any heads broken down for the rest of my life, I'll be stopping by to offer whatever help I can, cause we all "gotta go further..."

peace now,

marc